Barberton Popular Attractions

Visit Matsamo Cultural Village for the day or spend the night in a traditional Swazi custom-built 'hive'. In this traditional Swazi village the colourful Matsamo people tend their cattle, cultivate their crops and produce beautiful crafts. You'll be entertained to rousing dance and song performances and traditional cuisine, and allowed to wander where you will. Matsamo is named after Chief Matsamo, a prominent Shongwe chief and contemporary of King Mswati II. He was the first Swazi Chief to reside permanently in the area, and as a reward for his loyalty in defending the territory against invaders from the north, Mswati II allowed Chief Matsamo to remain in charge of the region as an eminent member of Swazi royalty. Today the region is still under the control of the Matsamo Tribal Authority. Visitors to Matsamo Cultural Village are treated to age-old folk songs, rhythmic dance performances, including the famous ‘Rain Dance', and music using authentic African instruments, as well as traditional Swazi cuisine. They can also wander on a tour through the village with its many huts and seclusions, interacting with the villagers as they go about their daily activities, cultivating their crops, preparing traditional food and fashioning beautiful craft works. Also at Matsamo is a well stocked curio shop with local crafts, and a spacious restaurant with a stunning panoramic view. Matsamo cultural village near Kruger Park first opened its doors in 2001 and enjoys great support from the broader community. Each staffer has shares in the owning company and it provides an income to more than 100 people, making it an award-winning responsible tourism project (Imvelo Responsible Tourism Award).

The Sudwala Caves are an incredibly deep system of caverns lying in the Mpumalanga region of the Drakensberg escarpment. Considered the oldest known caves in the world, this astonishing unplumbed complex of passages and giant chambers extend into the mysterious Mankelexele massif. The caves are situated in the Precambrian dolomite rocks of the Malmani Group, formed over a period of some 3 000 million years, capturing in stone an era when this place was a shallow inland sea. The very earliest known life forms are preserved in fossil form in these rocks. In the cave are fossils of the first oxygen producing plants on the earth called collenia – fossilised bacterial colonies that date back 2.2 billion years! And there's a Dinosaur Park too. Kids will love the life-size monsters guarding the cave entrance. Keen for adventure? Time your visit on the last Saturday of the month and join one of the popular Crystal Tours inside the deeper chambers. You will be required to crawl through some sections be prepared to get wet. It lasts for six hours and bookings are essential. +27 (0) 13 733 4152 www.sudwalacaves.co.za

At the core of Shangana Cultural Village is a busy African market where local craftspeople work and trade their crafts. Trained guides take guests on informative and interactive trips to villages during the daytime as well as midday tours with lunch and the famous Evening Festival in the Chief's Kraal. Shangana was created and built by the local Shangaan people and is a source of great pride. The village preserves their rich heritage and is an example of South Africa's great cultural diversity.

Visit an active silk farm and be amazed by the silk making process at this unique African development venture. After taking an interesting tour, you can spoil yourself purchasing silk clothing, silk-filled duvets or even silk skincare products. Guided one-hour tours are offered on the farm for a minimal fee. These tours take place from Monday to Sunday. After the silk farm tour visitors can relax at the Deck Restaurant for light meals and refreshments. The ice-cold homemade gingerbeer is a winner.

This is the spot where everyone takes their shots. Serious shutterbugs will be reaching for their polarising filters and best wide angle lens. Choose a clear day and you can see all the way to the Kruger National Park and Mozambique. Glance towards the east and you’ll see the Three Sisters, also known as the Three Rondawels. Just two kilometres north is Wonder View, the highest viewpoint in the region.Spend some time here and soak up the spectacular panoramic Lowveld landscape from God's Window in the lush Blyde River Canyon. The largest vegetated canyon in the world, Blyde is third in size only to the Grand Canyon and the Fish River Canyon.This beautifully green paradise has numerous plant and animal species and is a major core of endemism. And it's also the place where Africa split from Madagascar and Antarctica during the break-up of the Gondwanaland millions of years ago.